Martin Luther King,Jr.

Martin Luther King, Jr.

Introduction Each year, we celebrate Martin Luther King Day. We remember the life and work of a great African American leader. Who was this man?

Life in the South Martin Luther King Jr. was born in 1929. He grew up in a loving family. When he was nineteen, he decided to become a minister. His first job was at a church in the state of Alabama.

Alabama is in the South, where African Americans lived under unfair laws for many years. Before the Civil War, most black people were slaves to white owners. After the Civil War, slavery ended in America. But many states in the South then passed laws to keep blacks apart from whites.

These unfair laws took away the rights of many blacks. Black children had to go to different, poorer schools than white children. Blacks had to use different drinking fountains and bathrooms. On buses, blacks had to sit in the back and give up their seats if whites wanted them.

In 1955, a black woman refused to give up her bus seat to a white man. She was put in jail for breaking the law. When Martin heard what happened, he decided to act.